Chlamydia does not cause problems if you treat it right away. But left
untreated, it can lead to serious problems, especially for women:

If it spreads, it can cause
pelvic inflammatory disease. This serious infection
can make it hard or impossible for a woman to get
pregnant.

Pregnant women who have chlamydia often pass it to their
babies at birth. If the infection gets in a baby's eyes, it can cause
blindness. They can also have other problems, like
pneumonia. Pneumonia can be deadly in a
newborn.

Having chlamydia makes a person more likely to get
HIV from someone who is infected with HIV. HIV is the
virus that causes AIDS.

What causes chlamydia?

A certain kind of bacteria
causes chlamydia. It can spread from one partner to another through vaginal,
anal, or oral sex. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her
newborn during delivery.

What are the symptoms?

Most people don't have
symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they can include pain when you urinate,
cloudy urine, or an abnormal discharge from the penis or vagina.

You can spread chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms. You are
contagious until you have been treated.

How is chlamydia diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask
you questions about your past health and your sexual history, such as how many
partners you have. You may also have a physical exam to look for signs of
infection.

Several types of tests can be used to diagnose
chlamydia. Most use a sample of urine or a swab from the cervix, vagina, or
urethra.

Since chlamydia can cause serious problems but may not
cause symptoms, it's a good idea to get tested once a year if you are sexually
active and in your mid-20s or younger. Local health departments and family
planning clinics usually offer low-cost testing.

How is it treated?

Antibiotics are
used to treat chlamydia. It's important to take all of the medicine as
directed. Otherwise the medicine may not work. Both sex partners need treatment
to keep from passing the infection back and forth.

As soon as you
find out you have chlamydia, be sure to let your sex partners know. Experts
recommend that you notify everyone you've had sex with in the past 2 months. If
you have not had sex in the past 2 months, contact the last person you had sex
with.

Having a chlamydia infection that was cured does not protect
you from getting it again. If you are treated and your sex partner is not, you
probably will get it again.

Some people who have chlamydia also
have
other STIs, such as gonorrhea.

Finding out that
you have an STI may make you feel bad about yourself or about sex. Counseling
or a support group may help you feel better.

How can I prevent chlamydia?

It's easier to
prevent an STI like chlamydia than it is to treat it:

Don't have more than one sex partner at a
time. The safest sex is with one partner who has sex only with you. Every time
you add a new sex partner, you are being exposed to all of the infections that
all of their partners may have.

Use a condom every time you have
sex. Latex and polyurethane condoms keep out the viruses and bacteria that
cause STIs.

Be responsible. Don't have sex if you have symptoms of
an infection or if you are being treated for an STI.

Wait to have
sex with a new partner until both of you have been tested for STIs.

Cause

Chlamydia infection is caused by the bacterium
Chlamydia trachomatis. It is spread through vaginal,
anal, or oral sex with an infected partner. A pregnant woman may
spread the infection to her newborn during delivery.

You can
spread chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms of infection. You can spread
the infection until you have been treated.

Symptoms

Most women and men with
chlamydia do not have symptoms.

The time between exposure to chlamydia and the
start of symptoms—the incubation period—may range from days to months. If
symptoms appear, it is usually 1 to 3 weeks after sexual contact with an
infected person.

Symptoms in men

Painful urination or itching sensation with
urination (often the first symptom)

Cloudy
urine

Watery or slimy discharge from the
penis

Crusting on the tip of the penis

Tender anus or
scrotum

Conjunctivitis

Anal discharge

What Happens

Chlamydia does
not cause long-term problems if it is treated before any complications develop.
Left untreated, chlamydia can lead to many complications, especially for women.
If a woman has chlamydia when she gives birth, her newborn can be
infected.

Having a chlamydia infection that was cured does not
protect you from a future infection. A new exposure to chlamydia will reinfect
you, even if you were treated and cured.

Lymphogranuloma venereum, or LGV. This is caused
by a type of chlamydia that is usually rare in the United States, but it is
becoming more common in men who have sex with men. It causes open sores in the
genital area, headache, fever, fatigue, and swelling of the
lymph nodes in the groin. It also causes proctitis in
people who get chlamydia through anal sex.

What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for getting
chlamydia include:

Having unprotected sex (not using
condoms).

Having more than one sex partner.

Having a
high-risk partner or partners. This includes people who have more than one sex
partner or sex partners who have chlamydia.

Starting sexual
activity before age 18.

Any child with chlamydia needs to be seen by a doctor to
determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse. For more
information, see the topic
Child Abuse and Neglect.

When To Call a Doctor

In women:

Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if you have these
chlamydia symptoms:

Sudden, severe pain in the lower abdomen

Lower
abdominal pain with vaginal bleeding or discharge and a fever of
100.4°F (38°C) or
higher

Urinary burning, frequent urination, or inability to
urinate and a fever of
100.4°F (38°C) or higher

Call your doctor if you have these symptoms:

Vaginal discharge that becomes yellowish,
thicker, or bad-smelling

Bleeding between periods that occurs more
than once when periods are usually regular

Pain during sexual
intercourse

Bleeding after sexual intercourse or douching

Sores, bumps, rashes, blisters, or warts on or around the
genital or anal areas

Also call if you think you may have been exposed to a
sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Watchful waiting

Watchful waiting is a period of time during
which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using
medical treatment. Watchful waiting is not appropriate for a chlamydia
infection. Chlamydia causes no long-term problems if it is treated before any
complications develop. But untreated chlamydia can lead to many complications.
Avoid sexual contact until you have been examined by your doctor.

If you know you have been exposed to chlamydia, you and your sex partner
(or partners) need to be treated. You need to be treated even if you don't have
symptoms. Notify all partners with whom you had sex in the 60 days since your
symptoms or diagnosis. If you have not had sex in the last 60 days, contact
your last sex partner.

Who to see

Low-cost diagnosis and treatment of chlamydia are usually
available at local health departments and family planning clinics, such as
Planned Parenthood.

Some people are not comfortable seeing their
usual doctor for an STI. Most counties have confidential clinics for diagnosing
and treating chlamydia and other STIs. But for your future care it would be
good for your doctor to know of this infection.

If you have chlamydia, your doctor will send a report to
the state health department. Your personal information is kept confidential.
The health department may contact you about telling your sex partner or
partners that they may need treatment.

Early detection

The
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
recommends chlamydia screening for all sexually active women age 24 and
younger. The USPSTF also recommends screening for women older than 24 with
high-risk sexual behaviors. High-risk sexual behaviors include having multiple sex partners or having sex without using a condom (except if you're in a long-term relationship). The task force does not
state how often to be screened. After reviewing all of the research, the USPSTF
has not recommended for or against regular chlamydia screening for men.2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) recommends screening every year for sexually active adolescents and women
up to age 25. Women older than 25 who have high-risk sexual behaviors also
should be screened every year.3 You may have a urine
test for chlamydia (if it is available in your area) even if you do not have a
full pelvic or genital exam.

The CDC recommends tests for pregnant
women with high-risk sexual behaviors so they do not spread chlamydia to their
babies. All pregnant women should be screened during their first prenatal
visit. If a pregnant woman is at high risk for chlamydia, she may be tested
again during her third trimester.

The CDC also recommends you
have the test again 3 to 12 months after you finish treatment. Women who have been diagnosed and treated for chlamydia may get
it again if they have sex with the same partner or partners.

Treatment Overview

Chlamydia can
be cured with
antibiotics. The infection does not cause long-term
problems if it is treated early. But untreated chlamydia can lead to many
complications.

Treatment is recommended for:

People who have positive chlamydia
tests.

Sex partners within the last 60 days of people diagnosed
with chlamydia—even if they do not have symptoms.

Newborns of women
who have chlamydia at the time of delivery.

It is important to not have sex for 7 days after the start of treatment
for chlamydia.

If you are treated for chlamydia and your sex
partner is not, you will probably become infected again. Encourage your partner
to get treated. Use
condoms to lower the chance of reinfection.

What to think about

Some people who have chlamydia
may also have
gonorrhea. In that case, treatment includes
antibiotics that kill both chlamydia and gonorrhea. For more information, see
the topic
Gonorrhea.

Reinfection can occur.
Symptoms that continue after treatment are probably caused by another chlamydia
infection rather than treatment failure. To prevent reinfection, sex partners
need to be evaluated and treated.

Repeated chlamydia infections
increase the risk for
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Even one infection
can lead to PID without proper treatment. Make sure to take your antibiotics
exactly as prescribed. Take the full course of medicine, even if you feel
better in a couple of days.

Some doctors recommend retesting 3 to
12 months after treatment to reduce the risk of complications from
reinfection.3

If you have chlamydia, your
doctor will send a report to the state health department. Your personal
information is kept confidential. The health department may contact you about
telling your sex partner or partners that they may need treatment.

Prevention

You can reduce your risk of becoming
infected with
chlamydia or another
sexually transmitted infection (STI) and spreading the
infection.

Practice safer sex

Preventing an STI is easier than
treating an infection after it occurs.

Talk with your partner about STIs before
beginning a sexual relationship. Find out whether he or she is at risk for an
STI. Remember that it is possible to be infected with an STI and not know it.
HIV, for example, may not be found in the blood for up
to 6 months after initial infection.

Be careful.

Avoid sexual contact if you have symptoms
of an STI or are being treated for an STI.

Avoid sexual contact
with anyone who has symptoms of an STI or who may have been exposed to an
STI.

Do not have more than one sex partner at a time. Your risk for
an STI increases if you have more than one sex partner.

Male condom use

Condoms reduce the
risk of becoming infected with an STI. A condom must be put on before any
sexual contact begins. Use condoms with a new partner until you are certain he
or she does not have an STI.

Female condom use

Even if you are using another
birth control method, you may want to use condoms to reduce your risk of
getting an STI.
Female condoms are available for women whose partners
do not have or will not use a male condom.

Home Treatment

There is no home treatment for
chlamydia. Antibiotics, taken exactly as prescribed,
normally cure chlamydia infections. Chlamydia does not cause long-term problems
if it is treated before complications develop. Untreated chlamydia can lead to
many complications.

Finding out that you have chlamydia may cause
you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself or about sex. You may
feel embarrassed, be angry at the person who infected you, or feel frustrated
with treatment. You may want to seek counseling or join a support group for
people who have
sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You may get
counseling from a psychologist, a social worker, or another counselor. STI health clinics may offer counseling and support groups.

Medications

Antibiotic treatment, when taken exactly
as directed, normally cures
chlamydia infections. If antibiotics are not taken
properly, the infection will not be cured. Prompt treatment prevents the spread
of the infection and reduces the risk of complications, such as
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Avoid
sexual contact or use condoms until you and your partner have finished the full
course of medicine.

What to think about

Call your doctor if symptoms
continue or new symptoms develop 3 to 4 weeks after treatment. To prevent
reinfection, your sex partners need to be tested and treated.

Treatment in a hospital with
intravenous (IV) medicines may be needed for women who
have
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and men who have
epididymitis. In many cases, these conditions can be
treated outside of the hospital with oral antibiotics and close follow-up by
your doctor.

Surgery

Untreated
chlamydia can cause complications, such as an
abscess. Surgery may be used to drain or remove the
abscess.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.